Another Cam Belt Story

[88b]

I've had my GS since August last year, and the new cam belt since about two weeks after I bought the car It's a 98 registered Mk1 ( must have been sitting in a dealers for some time ) and had a genuine 16800 miles on it last Aug. it's up to 21k now. Monday morning I thought I'm changeing the belt, two and a half hours later I still can't get the crankshaft nut undone :tsktsk: and the Autodata book says it's a 2 1/2 hour job. I tried the old breaker bar and scaffold bar over it wedged on the ground and hit the starter, just got clunk clunk. Rubber plug out of the sump and a bar in the drive plate, then strapped the bar to the suspension ,two foot Snap On breaker bar on the crank nut and 15 stone + of me holding the roll bar and both feet on the breaker bar . Decided it was time for a break, got in the Fiesta and drove to a friends garage, he couldn't suggest anything, so I drove up to Lexus Southend. I sort of know the workshop foreman there, told him my sorry tale and he loaned me "the Lexus tool" . It's a tube that bolts to the crank pully with two 8 mm bolts ( I couldn't see the bolt holes as they are recessed ) you then fit a holding bar to it with a pin. The bar sits on the chassis rail under the air filter box, you then put a deep reach 22mm socket through it onto the crank bolt. Same again Snap on breaker bar both feet, can't move it, jacked the car up even higher ( the exhaust tips are now almost on the ground ) put a scaffold tube over the breaker bar and BANG. I didn't want to look, I was expecting broken oil cooler pipes or a hole in the rad. Took the socket out and undid the bolt with my fingers . The rest of the job was easy, after I got the pully off.

I took some pictures of the tool and all the relevant dimensions, but on reflection you don't need anything so complex as the official tool. Either a piece of thick 3" angle iron or probably better a piece of flat metal about 75mm x 10 mm about 600mm long. 2 8mm clearance holes drilled in it at 65 mm centres and a large hole to get a 22mm socket through centrally between them. I'm going to make one, because once I have it I will never ever need it again

[Tony9r]

I've had my GS since August last year, and the new cam belt since about two weeks after I bought the car It's a 98 registered Mk1 ( must have been sitting in a dealers for some time ) and had a genuine 16800 miles on it last Aug. it's up to 21k now. Monday morning I thought I'm changeing the belt, two and a half hours later I still can't get the crankshaft nut undone :tsktsk: and the Autodata book says it's a 2 1/2 hour job. I tried the old breaker bar and scaffold bar over it wedged on the ground and hit the starter, just got clunk clunk. Rubber plug out of the sump and a bar in the drive plate, then strapped the bar to the suspension ,two foot Snap On breaker bar on the crank nut and 15 stone + of me holding the roll bar and both feet on the breaker bar . Decided it was time for a break, got in the Fiesta and drove to a friends garage, he couldn't suggest anything, so I drove up to Lexus Southend. I sort of know the workshop foreman there, told him my sorry tale and he loaned me "the Lexus tool" . It's a tube that bolts to the crank pully with two 8 mm bolts ( I couldn't see the bolt holes as they are recessed ) you then fit a holding bar to it with a pin. The bar sits on the chassis rail under the air filter box, you then put a deep reach 22mm socket through it onto the crank bolt. Same again Snap on breaker bar both feet, can't move it, jacked the car up even higher ( the exhaust tips are now almost on the ground ) put a scaffold tube over the breaker bar and BANG. I didn't want to look, I was expecting broken oil cooler pipes or a hole in the rad. Took the socket out and undid the bolt with my fingers . The rest of the job was easy, after I got the pully off.

I took some pictures of the tool and all the relevant dimensions, but on reflection you don't need anything so complex as the official tool. Either a piece of thick 3" angle iron or probably better a piece of flat metal about 75mm x 10 mm about 600mm long. 2 8mm clearance holes drilled in it at 65 mm centres and a large hole to get a 22mm socket through centrally between them. I'm going to make one, because once I have it I will never ever need it again

Any chance of putting a picture up of this tool :winky:

[88b]

I've had my GS since August last year, and the new cam belt since about two weeks after I bought the car It's a 98 registered Mk1 ( must have been sitting in a dealers for some time ) and had a genuine 16800 miles on it last Aug. it's up to 21k now. Monday morning I thought I'm changeing the belt, two and a half hours later I still can't get the crankshaft nut undone :tsktsk: and the Autodata book says it's a 2 1/2 hour job. I tried the old breaker bar and scaffold bar over it wedged on the ground and hit the starter, just got clunk clunk. Rubber plug out of the sump and a bar in the drive plate, then strapped the bar to the suspension ,two foot Snap On breaker bar on the crank nut and 15 stone + of me holding the roll bar and both feet on the breaker bar . Decided it was time for a break, got in the Fiesta and drove to a friends garage, he couldn't suggest anything, so I drove up to Lexus Southend. I sort of know the workshop foreman there, told him my sorry tale and he loaned me "the Lexus tool" . It's a tube that bolts to the crank pully with two 8 mm bolts ( I couldn't see the bolt holes as they are recessed ) you then fit a holding bar to it with a pin. The bar sits on the chassis rail under the air filter box, you then put a deep reach 22mm socket through it onto the crank bolt. Same again Snap on breaker bar both feet, can't move it, jacked the car up even higher ( the exhaust tips are now almost on the ground ) put a scaffold tube over the breaker bar and BANG. I didn't want to look, I was expecting broken oil cooler pipes or a hole in the rad. Took the socket out and undid the bolt with my fingers . The rest of the job was easy, after I got the pully off.

I took some pictures of the tool and all the relevant dimensions, but on reflection you don't need anything so complex as the official tool. Either a piece of thick 3" angle iron or probably better a piece of flat metal about 75mm x 10 mm about 600mm long. 2 8mm clearance holes drilled in it at 65 mm centres and a large hole to get a 22mm socket through centrally between them. I'm going to make one, because once I have it I will never ever need it again

Any chance of putting a picture up of this tool :winky:

If only I knew how to, doesn't seem any easy way on this site. if you give me an e mail address I'll send them to you

[peter026]

Dimensions

Handle 25 x 9 x 560 mm

outside dia 4 hole end 83 mm 2 hole end 78 mm

bore dia 41 .5 mm

overall length 67 mm

end with 4 holes is 9mm thick

end with 2 holes is 25.5 mm thick

centre section is 32.5 mm long with an OD 48.5 mm

holes are 8mm clearance

Hope this will help. Thanks for Emailing the info Dave :winky:

[PARTSMAN]

Obviously you have a really helpfull local dealer who don't mind having pictures of there tools put on the internet for all to see :)

[garethr]

Small world... your brother just mentioned this over on TIF.

I was impressed that you persuaded the dealer to lend you the service tool :)

[88b]

Small world... your brother just mentioned this over on TIF.

I was impressed that you persuaded the dealer to lend you the service tool :)

Like I said I know the work shop foreman, he offered it I didn't ask. Mind you I didn't ask if I could take pictures either :winky:

I'm a firm believer in what goes round comes around, I get a lot of people out of trouble with transmissions or Ford stuff and info. This time I was lucky.

[Tony9r]

Nice one mate :)